About this project

The Scattered Bond by E.D.E. Bell

$3,853

100

If you love fantasy, read on. If you don’t, it’s different - you may like it. Read on anyway!

** If you aren't sure, then before you leave, click that reminder ★ near the top right **

This campaign is to enable the production costs of Book 3 of the Shkode trilogy: The Scattered Bond.

If you’re new to the trilogy, please join us! Welcome! The trilogy is now complete. There are rewards starting at $15 where you can get the whole series at once. This is great for those of you who love completed storylines — once this book is released, you won’t have to wait any longer. We’re offering a unique fantasy trilogy full of magic, dreams, hope, and
the connections that bind us — and we need your help in order to print
its finale in full offset-printed fantasy novel glory.

And if you’ve been with us throughout the journey, thank you, and welcome back. Let’s wrap this up!

The funding goal is intentionally much lower than our total costs, because we’re committed to finishing the trilogy. However, we’d really appreciate your pre-orders to help with our expenses, which go far beyond the minimum goal. So please spread the word!

What is the Shkode trilogy? The trilogy starts with a four-dimensional narrator who confesses that one of her children accidentally bumped into a three-dimensional world, or triverse, that she was studying, causing it to split into two. At this split, the life is forced onto one world or the other, causing one world to be occupied by humans, and the other to be occupied by dragons. Over time, humans no longer believe that dragons exist, and vice versa. However, the split world is unstable, and a series of natural disasters is starting to tear each world apart. On each, people and dragons struggle to discover a lost magic to perhaps save their world, but are mired in the political and social struggles of the day.

The trilogy represents unconventional fantasy writing that doesn’t easily fit into a marketing bin. But that’s why we love it and why we think we have something different to offer you. For fantasy fans, it’s got wizards, magic, and dragons as we doubt you’ve seen them before. It’s even got a touch of mathematical fiction. It’s written by a vegan and equalist, who enjoys exploring the human themes that make us who we are, including culture, gender, race, violence, and the connections between us and the world. So it’s really something different. If you aren’t sure, we invite you to check out the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.

What is Spireseeker ? This is Bell’s first novel. It’s an epic journey full of magic, talking animals, and genderbending elves, full of heart and passion. It’s also a bit trippy; we admit it! Despite being a first novel from an engineer-turned-author, it has a loyal following of fans who love the characters and the book’s magical qualities. We adore this future cult classic and it’s available as an additional reward through this campaign.

Who is E.D.E. Bell? Most of all, she loves fantasy. She believes fantasy transports us away from the stresses and woes of everyday life and bring us closer to our own passions and imagination. She loves art, and is a Kickstarter “superbacker” on her personal account, often pitching in to help other artists’ dreams come true. She also loves to write. She’s arrived here by an unusual path: she has a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, works in the technical intelligence field as a strategic advisor, and has three kids. She is from Michigan and Ohio, and lived in Virginia for eight years.

She is a passionate vegan and feels strongly about issues such as gender identity, human equality, and compassion. Her writing is pro-female, pro-male, pro-trans, pro-queer, pro-everybody, and features non-traditional, including vegan and LGBT Q+, heroes. For example, the main protagonist is a 29-year-old, female, pregnant, person of color, wizard. While definitely pro-diversity, it's meant to appeal to a wide-range of political viewpoints. Everyone is welcome.

If you have questions, please message us or send an email to info@atthisarts.com

The print rewards being offered are high quality offset-printed books with foil-stamped linen covers and dust jackets. We are really proud of them and they are definitely gift and bookshelf quality.

All hardcover rewards and add-ons will include options for signature and/or personalization (or not, if you aren’t into it).

You can add more books to any level. See the table below for details.

We think there’s something for everyone in The Scattered Bond:

More wizards and dragons: What happens to Atesh, Cor, Jwala, Mother, and the others? Find out in The Scattered Bond.

Gender themes: Gender themes continue and morph throughout the trilogy. Whether it’s prejudice, acceptance, condescension, gender identity, it’s part of this story. Someone on Netgalley said they hoped there was a lesbian hero. Yes, there is.

Vegan themes: Whether you’re a fellow vegan, a supporter of compassion for animals, or just an open-minded person who supports diverse writing, show some love for vegan heroes and themes. The author is a proud vegan and would love your support. Learn more about animal welfare themes in Bell's writing.

Diverse heroines: Fantasy needs heroines of all types. Ours include a magic-wielding woman of color, two brave blue dragonessi, and an aging doctor with a grumpy streak — none of whom have a focus of sexualization.

Note from the author for backers interested in veganism / non-violence / LGBTQ themes: While Book 1 (The Banished Craft) featured gender equality and cultural themes, the three themes listed above are more prominent in the second two books. The story builds - so stick with it. : ) And if you aren't interested in those themes, don't worry; there's plenty else for you to enjoy. It’s not a big deal.

Still not sure? That’s alright. We really appreciate you giving this project a look. Could we ask you to mark a reminder on this project, and in the meantime follow E.D.E. Bell:

Funds Needed: In addition to the editing and illustration costs we've already put in, offset printing and initial publication/promotion are expensive, so we really do need your help. Remember, the amount pledged isn’t anywhere near the amount available for these expenses – as a lot of the funds go into providing backers the printed books, in addition to shipping and fees, which consume a lot of the total.

Every dollar we receive on this project will go directly into the costs of the project. That is a promise.

The Kickstarter funds cover:

A successful Kickstarter project will assist with our editing costs for the book, offset printing costs, production and shipping, and basic marketing. Because our costs are much higher than the minimum goal, we are not going to post stretch goals at this point. We'd love to produce some Kickstarter-only swag, and can probably start talking about that if we could get to more than about the $5000 level. In the meantime, we'll post updates and previews. Also, any copies pre-ordered through Kickstarter will be sent to you prior to release date.

Add Ons: We tried to keep the reward levels reasonable, but we’d love for you to add books to your reward! These beautiful hardcovers make great gifts. If you’d like more, just add the amount shown below.

** This add-on allows you to share your copy of The Scattered Bond with a friend prior to the public release date. All other e-book titles can be purchased separately from your favorite e-book retailer (e.g. Amazon, iBooks, Nook).

Reviews for Shkode Book 1: The Banished Craft

“A wonderfully delightful and deeply imaginative tale of struggle and the quest for knowledge, set in a well-developed and complex high fantasy setting.”—G.S. Jennsen, author of Science-Fiction saga Aurora Rhapsody

“I love Bell’s sensitive and insightful exploration of compassion, connection, and relationships. The Banished Craft provides layers of thought-provoking ideas as well as good old-fashioned escapism.”—Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, bestselling author of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge

Reviews for Shkode Book 2: The Fettered Flame

“A boundlessly imagined, expertly crafted tale about compassion, connections, and war, seamlessly anchored in refreshingly progressive themes and well-developed characters. The Fettered Flame is one of the most complex and intelligent fantasies I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.”—Beth Teliho, author of award-winning supernatural mystery, Order of Seven

“An epic fantasy for lovers of dragons, magic, and generally awesome characters. The Fettered Flame is a breath of fresh air. It effortlessly weaves timely themes of inclusion and diversity around a traditional core and will capture not only your imagination, but also your heart.”—Tia, book reviewer for fanzine: nerds of a feather, flock together

Risks and challenges

Risks are very low. The book is written and extensively edited. We’ve successfully delivered several novels based on Kickstarter projects in the past — and are dedicated to finishing this trilogy.

Note on Limited Edition reward levels: There are 24 Limited Edition copies available of The Scattered Bond (to be signed/dated in August 2017), 12 remaining copies of The Fettered Flame (signed/dated in August 2016) and 11 copies (signed/dated in August 2015) of The Banished Craft. While we will monitor the reward levels and close tiers as appropriate, limited editions will be signed and distributed in order of reward level first (highest to lowest dollar amount) and then by date backed within each tier. If a Limited Edition is not available prior to a tier being closed, we will work with the backer on options for a fair substitution or the ability to change their pledge.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

HARDCOVER

Receive a signed hardcover (original printing) of The Scattered Bond, plus an e-book in both Kindle and e-pub formats. If you would like additional copies (they make great gifts), please add to your pledge, using the add-on table to determine the amount.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

SHKODE HARDCOVER BUNDLE

Receive signed hardcover (original printing) copies of all three books in the Shkode Trilogy, plus e-books in both Kindle and e-pub formats. If you would like additional copies (or copies of Spireseeker), please add to your pledge, using the add-on table to determine the amount.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

LIMITED EDITION

Receive a signed and dated hardcover, hand-numbered in the order of signing and limited to the first 25 copies signed. Also includes a copy of the e-book in both Amazon and e-pub formats. If you would like additional books, including limited edition copies of Spireseeker, The Banished Craft, or The Fettered Flame (while they are available), please add to your pledge, using the add-on table to determine the amount.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

THE EMPEROR

Receive a personal acknowledgement in the author's foreword to The Scattered Bond, a hand-written personal note of thanks for your support, and a one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia, for example hand-written notes or early sketches from one of Bell's novels. Includes rewards from [LIMITED EDITION] as well as a second, non-limited hardcover copy to read or give to a friend. If you would like additional books, please add to your pledge, using the add-on table to determine the amount.